Powered sander or abrasive machines are well known forms of technology which are normally configured for use in bench top applications. These types of machines are usually electrically powered with a battery or a power line connection and operate by rotating belts or sheets of abrasive material placed in contact with a surface to be abraded.
These existing powered sanders are effective for small jobs and are generally used in carpentry applications where small surface areas are to be sanded and there is a convenient supply of electrical energy available.
Existing powered sanding machinery cannot be used effectively when large areas are to be sanded as they lack the power to quickly abrade surfaces. Aside from power requirements, the abrasive paper or heads employed will rapidly become clogged with sanding dust which substantially degrades the effectiveness of the machine and the quality of the sanding finish. Furthermore, heat build up is an issue where the frictional heat generated can potentially damage or degrade the surface being sanded. Existing powered sanders are normally hand held with the hands of the user close to the working abrasive head, requiring a user to position themselves close to the surface being sanded and the sanding dust generated. Electrical sanding machines can only be used outside when it is not raining. The presence of water in conjunction with electrical equipment is unsafe and could lead to dangerous electrical shocks being delivered to the user.
Large surface areas need to be sanded in house painting applications, particularly where weather boards are to be re-painted. Such existing prior art powered sanders are ineffective in these applications for the reasons specified above—notwithstanding that a ready supply of electrical energy may not necessarily be available at the exterior of the house. The house exterior must normally be water blasted clean first, then sanded to a smooth finish prior to a fresh coat of paint being applied. Water blasting still does not remove all greasy film residues which, when traditional sanding methods are used, will still clog the abrasive paper, although not as much had the surface not been water blasted.
As it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this is a slow multi-stage process which can consume a significant amount of sandpaper and generate high volumes of sanding dust. In the case of weatherboard clad houses care needs to be taken to ensure the overhanging underside of each weatherboard is sanded properly in addition to the main outward face of each board. The presence of these two separate weatherboard surfaces can require each to be sanded as a separation action and by hand.
The generation of sanding dust is also a health and safety issue. In the case of older structures, lead based paint may have been employed and later sanding can release lead containing particles into the atmosphere.
A further issue involved with paint preparation, and in particular in respect of sanding acrylic paints, is the formation of heat blisters in underlying paint layers. In some instances sanding work may provide an appropriate finish for painting without necessarily indicating that friction heat has promoted delaminating or the formation of a blister under the old paint—where these blisters become obvious some time later. The surface may be completely prepared for repainting only to have heat blisters form subsequently, ruining the preparation work or potentially a fresh coat of paint. These blisters can form two, three or even more days after sanding, allowing a more than enough time for the completion of painting work which would need to be repeated.
A number of the same issues are also experienced in marine maintenance applications and in particular with the reapplication of anti-fouling coatings on the hulls of vessels. In such applications, the existing anti-fouling on a hull must be sanded back which can generate high volumes of relatively toxic sanding dust.
It would therefore be of advantage to have an improved abrasive apparatus and components which could potentially be used with this apparatus which addressed any or all of the above issues. In particular, a sanding apparatus which could work quickly and effectively to abrade large surface areas while controlling the release of the sanding dust generated would be of advantage. A sanding or abrasive apparatus which operated to reduce the chances of sanding paper clogging with sanding dust or heating up through the friction generated by sanding would also be of advantage. Furthermore an abrasive apparatus with a portable nature which does not rely on an electrical energy supply would also be of advantage.
Existing sanding machines use disposable abrasive head mounted materials formed from sheets or belts of fabric or paper. These heads can only be maneuvered into a limited number of orientations or positions with respect to the surface being sanded depending on the dimensions of the drive machine they are mounted to. Potentially a range of different sanding machines with various forms of working heads may be required to completely sand the corners or under hanging surfaces of an area—such as the case with the sanding preparation required for repainting weatherboards.
These sanding heads are also limited in their ability to work in wet environments and can fail quickly when exposed to water.
Other existing sanding machines incorporate a quick change configuration system for sandpaper sheets using hook and pile style fasteners commonly known as Velcro™. Although these systems do allow sandpaper to be changed quickly, in general the fastening system employed is susceptible to damage by use of the sander, and potentially can be weakened and fail prior to the consumption of the sandpaper itself. Furthermore, these existing sanding machine abrasives cannot operate in wet conditions and will quickly become weakened and fail once moist.
It would therefore be of advantage to have an abrasive material head for a sanding machine or apparatus which could address any or all of the above problems, or at least provide the public with an alternative choice.